Chapter 252

Chapter 255: Pure Friendship (Please Subscribe!)

The colossal magic that enveloped the entire cavern space annihilated all enemies without mercy, bringing the battle to an end.

As Refia nervously dealt with Tiona’s enthusiasm, Ais, who had been hiding behind Izay earlier, stepped forward and placed her hand on Refia’s head, patting it gently twice.

“….Refia, you’re amazing.”

“Is, is…!”

Although Ais’ expression still lacked emotion, she did indeed reveal a hint of a smile. It seemed like she was trying to encourage her.

And as soon as those words were spoken, Refia’s eyes widened instantly. Feeling the sensation on her head, she immediately broke into a soft, gentle smile.

She’s still as weak to compliments as ever…

Ais, however, paid little attention to Refia’s expression.

After giving the little sprite a head pat, Ais paused for a moment, seemingly completing a brief thought process, then she looked at Izay.

“Izay also… thank you…”

“!?”

Caught off guard by the sudden gratitude, Izay hesitated for a moment.

Then, after a brief exchange of glances with the young girl, he understood immediately.

Firstly, Ais was expressing her thanks for the battle earlier.

Though the battle didn’t last long, with waves of monsters swept away by two spells, the actual process was extremely difficult.

Without her usual weapon, facing tricky poison skills, and being outnumbered in overwhelming numbers, it was undoubtedly a perilous situation.

Getting out of such a predicament owed much to Izay’s efforts. Ais was thanking him for this.

However, her true intentions were that she had only praised Refia earlier, unintentionally neglecting Izay’s side. She couldn’t favor one over the other, so she quickly made up for it.

Even though her natural personality hadn’t changed much, having spent more time with Izay, Ais had started to care about the feelings of those around her.

Realizing this, Izay couldn’t help but chuckle wryly, “Do I look like someone with such a fragile heart?”

“Hmm… not really.” Ais slightly embarrassed, averted her gaze, and shook her head.

“If that’s the case, why are you being so formal with me? What kind of relationship do we have? Right?” Izay patted her head.

For some reason, there was an odd sense of hierarchy here.

Probably something like – Refia < Ais < Izay, something like that~ (Add a meme.jpg)



"What kind of relationship? What kind of relationship do you two have!?" Suddenly, Tiona perked up upon hearing this, her face clearly saying "I'm very curious."



Others also threw teasing glances here and there.



Under all these gossipy stares, Ais' eyes began to involuntarily shift... looking as if she was blushing. And just when Refia was laughing foolishly, she suddenly stopped smiling because she felt real damage.



Izay coughed falsely twice, "...Your thoughts seem to be off track. The relationship between Ais and me is pure friendship!"



"A friendship pure enough to get beaten by Loki?"



"Who's spouting such obvious truths?... Raul!? You again!"



"Damn it~! Even when I spoke so softly, you could hear me!"



Not big brother... Is there anyone here who isn't of high-level adventurer strength?



No matter how softly you speak, it will definitely be heard once said!



Everyone was amused by Raul's reaction but didn't dwell too much on the previous topic.



For a moment, the scene was filled with joy after victory.



Finn saw everyone's smiles and his lips curved slightly, adding a touch of gentleness to his usually stern face.



"Leader? Is something wrong?"



Even after the victory, noticing that the leader of the small race remained silent and didn't fully relax, Tione approached him and asked.



"In fact, before we fled into this cavern, Tione, do you remember, we were surrounded by those new species of monsters."



"Um, I remember. Except for the right passage leading here, those monsters appeared everywhere else."



"But at that time, the path ahead... was the regular route leading to the fiftieth floor."



"...You don't mean..."



Seeing Finn constantly rubbing the pad of his right thumb, Tione, while surprised, also associated it with that terrible possibility.



"Although it might just be my excessive worry, we shouldn't be overly optimistic. This is the dungeon... Everyone! Gather up! Let's return to the camp at full speed!"



"Yes, Leader!"



Soon, everyone reined in their laughter, followed Finn's orders, and quickly left the cavern, heading back to the fifty-story camp.



...



The speed of first-class and second-class adventurers goes without saying. Especially under these "lightweight" conditions.



Avoiding battles with the monsters, they simply used speed to outrun any newly spawned ones.



It didn't take long for the nine people to approach the path leading to the fiftieth floor.



There was a rock slope carved out of the west wall of the fiftieth floor, forming a large hole.



To go to the fifty-first floor, one could simply jump down; returning would require climbing the slope a bit.



But now, the entrance rocks were covered with yellow-green slime.



Finn's expression remained unchanged, but his pace quickened slightly as he observed these obvious traces left by monster movements.



"Hurry up! Everyone! Return to the camp immediately!"



"Something bad has happened..."



"Tch! I'll kick them all to death!"



"I'll avenge my Ulgah too!!"



Everyone sensed the ominous signs and began to leap continuously up the slope.



Just as they reached the end of the slope, officially arriving at the fiftieth floor, they heard shouts from the crowd and earth-shattering explosions.



Through the gray forest, smoke rose from the location of Loki Familia's expedition camp.



"Indeed, it was right to conserve my magic power."



Upon seeing the smoke, Izay immediately had this thought.



"The camp..."



"Riviria, and everyone else!"



Seeing the same scene, Ais and the others immediately sped up and ran through the great forest.



But Izay didn't follow; instead, he observed his surroundings for a suitable place.



"Izay? Is something wrong?"



Noticing his unusual behavior, Finn turned back to ask after stepping into the range of the great forest.



"Nothing, Leader, you go ahead. I can provide some support from here."



Quickly finding a suitable vantage point, Izay's eyes lit up. The sudden appearance of pale light seemed to pierce through his right hand.



But it was actually the fluctuation caused by the manifestation of his bow Yetzira.



The dark silver longbow flowed with mysterious light as Izay raised it, signaling to them.



"Alright! Count on you, Izay."



After saying that, Finn sped up and rushed out.



Passing through the great forest, the open ground formed by the rocky plate came into view. There stood their camp, smoking and nearly destroyed, with massive worm-like creatures crawling towards them, pressed against the rocks.



Vote or I'll cut you guys~.jpg